01.09.19

Shelby Selected as Senate Appropriations Chair for 116th Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today received the approval of his Republican colleagues to serve as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations for the 116th Congress.  The Senate Republican Conference met this afternoon to ratify committee chairmen for the new Congress and approved Shelby’s selection by members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to lead the committee for his first full two-year term as chairman.  The Senate is expected to formally affirm Senate committee chairmen and rosters in an organizational resolution.

 

“I am honored that my colleagues have continued to place their trust in me to lead the Senate Appropriations Committee,” said Chairman Shelby.  “Members on both sides worked together last Congress to produce real results on a level not achieved in many years.  Despite the challenges we now face, I am hopeful that we can reproduce this bipartisan cooperation in the current Congress.  I look forward to continuing to work closely with Vice Chairman Leahy and all committee members to produce bills that fund our national priorities.”

 

Shelby is now working with his colleagues to designate Appropriations subcommittees.  In order of committee seniority, Republican Senators on the committee are Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Jerry Moran of Kansas, John Hoeven of North Dakota, John Boozman of Arkansas, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Steve Daines of Montana, Marco Rubio of Florida, and James Lankford of Oklahoma.

 

Previously, Shelby served as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee during a portion of the 115th Congress, following Senator Thad Cochran’s resignation in March 2018.  He also served as vice chairman for the 113th Congress.

 

Under Shelby’s leadership during the 115th Congress, the Senate Appropriations Committee completed work on all 12 Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations bills before the July 4th recess, marking the most punctual timeframe in which the committee has completed its regular appropriations bills since 1988.  Additionally, five of those appropriations bills were signed into law before the end of the fiscal year and 75 percent (74.9) of the government was funded on schedule, which signals the most spending bills enacted on time since Fiscal Year 1997 – more than two decades ago.